Political, personal and sometimes experimental writing from a lawyer, parent, muso and cat wrangler. Critical security; regulation in the era of disruption; public ethics; child rights; anacruses to arpeggios; and, regardless of the subject, beautiful writing wherever it appears.
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Thursday, July 20, 2006

Touch one, touch all, Israel

Israel jeopardised an evacuation by refusing to extend a deadline. A deadline on what? Bombing anywhere near a port that's teeming with civilians?

Citizens have a right to expect better of their government. Australia not only can't pull it's finger out and organise an effective evacuation, 'we' are supporting the people who are threatening to murder our civilians.

It's a national disgrace.

And their stories are both heartbreaking and telling. Stories of families wiped out when small villages are shelled into ruin. This is a war on civilians, they are the overwhelming victims.

There's a curfew, the Israelis wouldn't extend the curfew. Some Australians, I think it was actually in the end about 45, got onto the Greek ship, but many didn't...

So why don't you tell them to damn well lift their curfew, Alex? Why don't you tell them that if they kill an Aussie by recklessly bombing ports where our civilians are waiting to be evacuated that will consitute an Act of War and lead to indefinite suspension of all diplomatic relations with Israel?

TOM IGGULDEN: But one Sydney father isn't waiting for anyone else's help. Rami Abdallah's wife and 15-month-old daughter are holed up in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon's south, a Hezbollah stronghold and target of Israeli bombing.

RAMI ABDALLAH, FATHER: Last call was yesterday and there was a bit of bombing going on around that area where they are. I don't know if words can describe how they're feeling. It's like - in one conversation, I feel like my heart's about to stop. So, you know, you got a young wife, a young baby, who, you know, are just very vulnerableat the moment.

TOM IGGULDEN: Tonight, he's winging his way to the Middle East on a one-man rescue mission.

RAMI ABDALLAH: Get in and grab them and get out as soon as possible. I hope to be able to get a taxi driver that will get me in, stay, come back with me.

TOM IGGULDEN: If the plan sounds desperate, it's because the Sydney real estate agent says he's got no alternative. He doesn't trust government assurances that staying indoors will keep his family safe. RAMI ABDALLAH: I understand that the Foreign Minister - 'Downer', is that right? - has had some issues in getting, you know, access, and ceasefire or whatever it may be. That's not my problem at the moment, honestly. That's their problem. They've got to deal with that. They've got 25, 35,000 people that they gotta contend with. My job is to get my family out.

Lebanese Australians have made a magnificent contribution to this country, from Victorian Premier Steve Bracks to NSW Governor Marie Bashir....The most promising Arab democracy of all was Lebanon. The world hailed the Cedar Revolution last year when hundreds of thousands of Lebanese bravely took to the streets to demand the departure of Syrian troops and a democratic future. Now Lebanon has been thrown into chaos, turmoil and suffering with so much of its infrastructure destroyed....The return address on Hezbollah's rockets is postmarked Damascus and Tehran, not Beirut. Heavy strikes against Hezbollah missile sites are warranted, but Israel cannot run Lebanon as it runs the West Bank....An Israeli strike against Syria's armed forces would have shown Assad he had to pay a price for Hezbollah's activities. Striking Lebanon, which is weak and cannot fight back, causes Assad, and the rulers in Tehran, no pain at all.

I agree. And will the Lebanese view things the same way, that the return address on Israeli rockets is postmarked Tel Aviv and Washington?

4 comments:

Now look, Armeniac, you have got a few things mixed up. All Israel is doing is degrading Hezbollah do you understand? They never, never, never target civilians and civilian infrastructure, get it? They are only acting in self-defence, get it? They are a gentle peace-loving nation who would never harm anyone or take anyone's land, get it?

Sure they have killed over three hundred Lebonese (mainly civilians) thus far and are methodically demolishing most of the Lebonese infrastructure but this is purely ACCIDENTAL! Those poor people and buildings and schools and mosques and bridges, and tourists just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time! Silly them.

I hope this has straightened you out, Ameniac. Hopefully, like Downer, you will support the murderous Zionist State in future!

Given that the Australian body couldn't get one body home from Iraq, what chance do you really given them of getting 7000 people out alive? I reckon that bombing of the International Airport was probably the worst PR move Israel has made so far. Otherwise the West could flown out all of their citizens and then the International media would stop caring fairly fast.

So of this number of "civilians" how many are civilians? Where's the official count of who was what, where and why? Furthermore who is providing these statistics?

It is quite apparent that all sides, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Lebanese Govt, the Israelis and Western MSM etc are all engaged in the calculus of war.

So as my own pre-emptive strike don't shoot down my first questioning of the stats on the pretext that I am applying some indifferent inhuman statistical analysis to the very real flesh and blood that is being destroyed. You are all engaged in it.

How many Israelis should die before they strike back and how many innocent civilians are permissible in such revenge strikes?

To steal a line from arguments I have heard elsewhere, given that 20,000 French civilians died as a result of the Normandy landings in WWII was that too much collateral damage to justify the liberation of Europe from Nazism?

The question Sheridan may well ask himself is what would happen if the Israelis did in fact strike at the 500 Syrian tanks lined up on the border with the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon?

Since the Syrians and Iranians have an alliance that guarantees each other support in the event of attack what does Sheridan make of the very real probability that not only will Isreali action engage Syria but also Iran in all out war? Does he think Lebanon would remain neutral, like Switzerland in such an event? Furthermore has Sheridan thought through the fact that if Iran were to act upon her alliance with Syria and attack Israel then the USA would be obligated to act in accordance with her alliance with Israel and attack Iran?

All the above is the strategic calculus that is being, and has been done by the Israelis. I wonder how many civilian deaths would be acceptable to Sheridan once Israel and the US engage in all out war with Syria and Iran?